Despite it's having been around for more than two decades, not many Canadian consumers seem to be aware of the Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP), a voluntary policy whereby retailers promise their commitment to scanner price accuracy.
Participating retailers include those that sell food, general merchandise and pharmacy items. The gist of the policy is that if an unticketed item with an UPC code (universal product code) scans at a higher price than what is displayed on the shelf, the consumer receives one of that item for free up to a maximum value of $10.
If the item's value is in excess of $10, then they will be charged the shelf price, less $10. So if an item is priced at $12.95, and scans for $14.95, the consumer will receive that item for $2.95. If the item is $10 or less, the consumers receives it for free.
Additional items of the identical product would be charged at the lower shelf price.
The policy is meant to apply to all items with individual UPC codes. So if Campbell's soup is scanning wrong, one of each variety (assuming you had some of each) would be free, not just one can of Campbell's soup.
I have known about this programme since it was first implemented, because at the time I was working part-time in a grocery store. I have found though that even twenty years later not many people are aware of this policy or ever use it.
Some retailers will voluntarily adhere to the code if an item scans at a higher price, but others will not offer to do so unless the consumer specifically mentions it and asks to receive the item for free.
Stores that participate in the programme usually display a sign stating the policy on doors and at registers.
This is how the displayed policy (black print on a white background) reads:
Scanning Code of Practice
If the scanned price of a non-price item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the first item free, up to a $10 maximum. If a Code of Practice problem cannot be resolved at the store level, please call 1-866-499-4599 to register your complaint.
Some of the stores that I shop at that follow SCOP include the Loblaws chain (grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies) and Walmart.
When I shop, I know the price of every item that I have in my cart, to the penny. When I check out, I watch the monitor as each item is scanned. If an item scans higher than the shelf price, I mention to the cashier that I thought it was less, and ask them to please get a price check.
Once the lower price has been verified, when I mention the pricing integrity policy, the cashier usually calls a supervisor for an override and it is a quick and simple process.
Sometimes, cashiers are unaware of the policy and think that I am joking. Other times, either the cashier or the supervisor is visibly angry or even rude.
At one store years ago, when a meat item scanned wrong, the angry meat manager made a point to come up to the register to tell me that he hoped I was happy, because now he was going to have to fire the employee who had made the error!
Sometimes employees act as though you are taking money directly from their pockets and that they are going to have to pay for your item. But this is hardly the case. Thankfully, such incidences are rare.
No one should feel guilty for asking for the policy to be followed. It is a voluntary programme. The retailer has chosen to participate and has made a commitment to pricing integrity in their store.
When retailers went from pricing individual items to using scanning systems for UPC codes, this saved them a great deal of time and money. Naturally, people can make mistakes, systems can be incorrectly updated, or not updated at all, signage errors can be made, etc.
But the consumer should not be penalized. And every time you bring a scanning error to the attention of a retailer, you are helping fellow consumers who might not be as diligent about checking their receipts.
Just last weekend, our local supermarket had farmer's sausage on in-store sale. The regular price was $8.99, and the shelf ticket price was $2.99. I double checked the description and UPC code of the sausage against the ticket, to ensure I didn't grab the wrong product. I was not anticipating that it would scan incorrectly, I just wanted to be sure that I had the right thing.
In the case of a price discrepancy, the two must match before the store will honour the policy. Sometimes a sign gets shifted, or someone puts a different product in front of the wrong sign (either an employee or another consumer). If the item is not the same, the retailer is not bound by the policy.
I do not know how long the sign had been up, or how many people before me had added the sausage to their cart, thinking they were getting a good deal. But when I went to check out, the sausage rang up at the regular price of $8.99.
I asked the cashier to have it checked, and the clerk brought back the sign, for $2.99, so that it could be removed or changed in the system. At this store, they explain the policy to you and offer the item for free, without your having to ask, which I think is wonderful customer service.
I did not feel the least bit guilty about getting my sausage for free. I can only imagine how many people went home with sausage that they probably wouldn't otherwise have bought, thinking that they were getting a great deal, when in reality they paid the regular price of $8.99 for it.
Sometimes, retailers, even supervisors and managers, do not fully understand how the policy works. There have been a couple of times when I have had to contact a retailer's head office after a dispute.
One supervisor at a pharmacy insisted that receiving a free item only applied to items under $10, and that if an item was over $10 you paid the shelf price, with no discount. A copper bracelet that was marked at $14.95 but scanned higher, should have cost me $4.95 but the supervisor would not budge.
Because it was a gift for a friend, I purchased it anyways. But I took names, kept my receipt, and once home called the head office. I received an apology, and a gift card for $25.
Over the years I have saved quite a bit of money, even though many weeks I do not find any errors at all.
All consumers should educate themselves about SCOP. You can find more information here: http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/01262.html
Do not be afraid to speak up and ask for your free, or discounted by $10, items. Not only will you be doing yourself a favour, you will be helping out other consumers in the process.
You will be helping retailers as well. They do not want to be unintentionally overcharging customers and risking future business.
So start watching the check out monitor, or double checking your receipts!
I do not know whether other countries have similar programmes or not, but it would be worth looking into if you don't know.
Nifty, thrifty and (over) fifty,
Cathy
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